We are now back in England, in the beautiful village of Sidlesham, West Sussex. We are staying on our friend’s campsite (www.fieldgatecampsite.co.uk) giving a hand where we can. We will be going back to Oxford for a couple of weeks soon to see friends and family.
On the 23rd April we have an interview with the Caravan Club so after that who knows what we will be doing?
The campsite (under Al and Isabel’s ownership) opens on the 1st April for the second year and there is lots going on. New hard standings are going in and a brand new shower block is going to be created over the next few months.
Hedges are being cut back, burnt and shaped. New bushes are on order and types of bedding plants are being discussed to make the campsite picturesque!
Over the last month, we have drifted back from La Manga via France. We took ten days to get through both countries and it was perfect. The sun shine all the way through until our last couple of days.
Driving in Spain is an absolute dream. The roads are wide and have practically no vehicles on them! At one point Dean stopped to take photos of some Griffon Vultures who were feasting on carrion in one of the fields, amongst them was a single Egyptian Vulture? Almond blossom was all around and lavender bushes were in abundance whenever we stopped for a break.
Apart from the first journey we averaged about five to six hours driving per day, sharing the driving. It did cost us €200 in toll charges but that was because we were towing the trailer. Our first stop was Zaragoza for two nights where we’ve stayed before.
It costs €23 per night including electric and free internet. The site is mainly a transit stop with many people using it as a break before they get the ferry back to the UK from Santander. There is also a supermarket within walking distance so we were able to stock up on essentials before heading to Les Ondres Plage Aire, just over the border into France.
When we arrived, there were already a number of motorhomes on the aire. Last time we visited we were the only ones there! Again, the sun was shining so we were able to walk along the beach (adjacent to the aire) and just admire the scenery. Dean went hunting along the shoreline for dead things while I stayed by the dunes and just sat and watched the waves crashing in.
There was a very friendly atmosphere on the site, with many of us sat outside with a coffee, biscuits and a book to read. Heaven!
Later that evening, Dean caught some beautiful sunset shots as you can see below.
After a couple of days we set off north, via Poitiers for one night on an aire next to the Futuroscope extravaganza! Be careful if you stay here as the pricing is a bit unusual – read the prices before you stay. It was a very nice, safe site though so we would recommend it.
The next day we headed for our favourite place, Honfleur. There is a massive aire right next to the harbour costing €10 per night, including electric if you are lucky! Sadly, our camera let us down so we have no photos to show you from Honfleur. The main thing though is we had no repeat of the disastrous shenanigans we encountered last year!
For our last night in France, we stayed at Le Touquet-Paris Plage aire. It is about one and a half hours from the Eurotunnel so early Monday morning we set off, then arrived at the terminal and booked in straight away.
Although the tunnel is an expensive option, we feel it is worth every penny as there is no drama. You can stay with your vehicle, there appears to be no problem with illegal immigrants trying to cadge a lift and the staff have always been very helpful and polite!
Within 15 minutes of arriving in England we’d booked in at the Black Horse Caravan Club site, Folkestone and pitched ourselves!
We met up with our friends, Malc and Ali in Folkestone. They used to be managers for the CCC but retired a couple of years ago. Retirement suits them as they both look amazing, very relaxed and content!
